Leading ag-tech firm Saga Robotics has appointed current CFO Anne Dingstad as its new chief executive officer
Saga Robotics, designer and operator of the Thorvald autonomous robot, has announced that Anne Dingstad, current CFO at the company, will succeed founder Pål Johan From as chief executive officer.
From is set to transition into the role of chief product officer, dedicating his time to the “further development of Thorvald, driving scale and further value creation”, according to the company.
Saga Robotics has operations in Norway, the US and UK, and its Thorvald robot uses advanced algorithms to navigate challenging farm conditions, applying UV-C light, harvesting fruit and conducting repetitive, labour-intensive tasks.
“As we grow, it’s ever more important to have the right people in the right role,” From said, “and I’m delighted to be able to hand overall leadership of the company to someone as talented as Anne. I’m also excited to be able to focus on the part of the company where I can make the biggest difference – the evolution of our product range. I look forward to working with this amazing team to scale up our offerings and develop products that create even more value for our customers.”
Dingstad commented: “I am honoured to become Saga Robotics’ CEO. It is a privilege to lead our talented and dedicated team in developing less labour constrained products and services and creating value for customers. We want to be the preferred scalable technology partner for soft fruit, horticulture and viticulture growers, enabling them to reach their full crop potential while reducing waste, use of chemicals, and carbon emissions.”
Atle Eide, chairman of Saga Robotics, added: “Pål has created a global leading ag-tech company, and is still the largest shareholder of Saga Robotics. The Board fully supports his wish to further focus on the technology part of Saga Robotics and is confident that the appointment of Anne will further enhance both our commercial development and global expansion.”
“Building on our world leading Thorvald platform, we will expand our markets, scale, and build a robust operation to create shareholder and societal value,” Dingstad confirmed.
Prior to joining Saga Robotics, Dingstad, who lives on and runs a family farm, held various international executive leadership positions in mobile and digital businesses focused on growth, expansion, finance, and business and corporate development.
